Violence, silence and the four truths: towards healing in U.S.-American historical memory

Abstract

ABSTRACTThe articles collected here argue that there is much at stake in how memory is made, particularly at public sites where the United States’ exceptionalism and ‘greatness’ are contested. How is memory made in these places? Whose voices are represented and who controls access? How are communities taking back control, asserting their own stakes in iconic national stories and demanding recognition? Authors in this volume examine memories that haunt both diasporic and Indigenous communities to reflect upon the changing nature of historical memory at sites, up to and including the contemporary moment. This introduction considers ‘white history,’ the violence it emboldens and requires, four types of truth identified by Truth and Reconciliation Commissions, and public judgement. I integrate these concepts to advocate for working towards a reconciliatory process and healing truth.